| 27 January 2012
Every Super Bowl party needs to decide on some key aspects of the party before friends and family are invited over.
Whether your skilled at party planning or just getting your feet wet, we have you covered in all aspects of throwing the perfect Super Bowl party. Things like the food, drinks, desserts, invitations and even coasters are all here to help you plan the best party for the big game.
Hit the jump to keep reading to figure out your food and drinks and let's get crafty!
The Food
Will your party be a pot luck (everyone brings a dish) or will you have to cook the food yourself?
Whether your bringing a dish or serving up a team-inspired menu, we have you covered WITH PICTURES. Because who really likes to try to cook or eat something without looking at it first?
If your attending a party that you have to bring a dish, I insist you make the Tequila Lime Chicken or Kicked Up Sloppy Joes that were tested out tailgating at a Jaguar game. They were both flavorful, somewhat easy to make but more importantly, a HUGE hit.
If you are preparing for a crowd to come to your house and need some help quick, Jen over at Stilletto Sports has assembled a great list of foods for the perfect Super Bowl party.
- Super Chili Recipes
- NFL Team Inspired burger recipes
- Unique Chicken wing recipes
- Football party dips
- Sliders and mini-burger recipes
Still stuck on what to make? About.com has a pretty extensive list (over 100) of appetizers and finger foods to choose from that includes pictures for every single recipe.
Additional Food tips:
- Try to do most of your prep work the day before. Store meats & veggies in ziplock bags so they are ready to go the next day.
- When making food choices for your party, choose good finger food to cut down on silverware that would be needed.
- Do yourself a favor and purchase disposable chafing dishes. They are cheap, easy to use, reusable and keep your food warm for hours.
But What About the Drinks?
A good beer is usually the drink of choice at a Super Bowl party. But before you start heading to the store, are you supplying drinks just for yourself or the people that are coming over?
Is your party BYOB?
If so, you need to clearly state this before inviting anyone over so someone doesn't show up 5 minutes before the game starts and finds out they are SOL.
If you are providing drinks for others, don't forget about the non-beer drinkers. While your out, you will need to grab some wine, soda and water for the cheap route. Or if you are suppling liquor, don't forget the mixers, soda, straws and the appropriate garnish. (lime, salt, olive etc...)
Whether its BYOB or your supplying your own, its a good rule of thumb to have either plenty of ice on hand or your own cooler to keep your drinks cold.
To liven up your party a good idea is to bring a traditional drink for each team. Stilletto Sports also provided the traditional drink for each NFL team, whether you want to celebrate the teams in the Super Bowl or you're still bitter about your team's performance. Grab a "Cranberry Almond Kicker" to cheer on the Patriots or a "Jolly Red Giants" to cheer on those New York Football Giants.
Don't Forget About Dessert!
Sweets go along with football just as well as beer so its important to remember all the fun football treats you can share with your guests.
Helmet Cakes:
This item is good to buy now because you can use it for years to make custom cakes featuring the Super Bowl teams each year.
The cake pan is 12.75 x 10.5 and is about 2 inches deep so making 2 cakes each Super Bowl team is plenty to feed numerous guests.
Goes for about $12 and you can find it at BirthdayDirect.com.
Pull Apart Football Cup Cakes
These easy little desserts will set you back about $10 and are super easy to make without looking too lame.
All you need is cake mix, frosting, M&M's and white decorative icing.
Howdini has the video "How to Make a Pull Apart Football Cake" on their website.
Football Brownies
Another great idea for a dessert is to make tiny footballs out of brownie batter.
All you would really have to find is a cookie cutter shaped like a football, brownie mix, chocolate icing and decorative white icing.
Wha La! Instant party favorite.
Don't feel like cooking?
All you have to do is just pick up some Krispy Kreme football donuts and you have got an instant treat that will be sure to go quick.
If you call at least 48 hours in advance, you local Krispy Kreme will customize your order in team colors. Missed out on the custom colors? Just take the extra step and pick up some decorative icing in the Super Bowl Team colors to create custom donuts.
Now its Time to get Crafty!
Super Bowl Party Invitations
You hopefully now have your food and drinks figured out for the Superbowl (or at least an idea), its now time to write out those invitations.
But because it's a little late to send out invitations through snail mail, step into the 21st century and make a digital invitation to email out.
There are dozens of Super Bowl themed invitations that you can customize, create and send at Evite.com.
Once the guest receives the invite, they can choose to either accept or decline the information and you are given a true count before you do any shopping.
Make Your Own Coasters!
Nothing says "attention to detail" more like custom coasters for your party. You can make them team inspired or feature "Beers from around the World". The possibilities are endless.
Supplies
- photo paper or sturdy cardstock
- scissors
- craft glue (optional)
- self-laminating sheets, found at office supply stores; adhesive vinyl, found at Canadian Tire in the storage section; or Krylon’s Preserve It!, found at craft stores (all optional)
- cork, found at hobby stores
Step 1: Load the cardstock into the printer, following the printer’s directions. Print the coaster sheet.
Step 2: Cut out the coasters.
Step 3: Glue each coaster to a piece of cork backing with craft glue.
Step 4: Let the coasters dry; then spray each one with a paper protectant (such as Krylon’s Preserve It!).
To design your own coasters, download Microsoft Word's "make your own coaster template" [pdf link] and follow the instructions on the right-hand side (you don't have to choose the red in the PDF, just use it as a guide). Print the images in color, trim around the edges, laminate or coat them to protect from spills, and add a cork bottom.
Need more inspiration? The people over at Etsy.com have put together a HUGE selection of hand-made Super Bowl items. Or check out our Superbowl Party thread on Pinterest. You can browse to buy or gather more insight as to how you want to decorate for your party.
